Seattle Seahawks general manager John Schneider might have given a real indication that he isn't completely sold on Sam Darnold being the team's new starting quarterback. This wasn't Seattle taking Jalen Milroe in the third round of the 2025 draft, but that Drew Lock was also signed in free agency.
At the time Darnold and Lock were signed, Seattle still had Sam Howell. For a short time, the Seahawks had Darnold, Lock, Howell, and Milroe, though the chance of Howell ever starting for the team was zero.
Still, Schneider has some faith in Lock, which was learned during the time Lock was a backup with the Seahawks in 2022 and 2023. Darnold was a far greater risk as he has only had one season out of seven in his career which he has been good. Darnold is going to start Week 1, but Lock is ready to step in.
Seattle Seahawks training camp could bring some unexpected quarterback drama
Potential issues popped up in OTAs and minicamp, though. No quarterback on Seattle's roster has had Klint Kubiak as their offensive coordinator before, as the QBs and the OC are all new to the Seahawks in 2025. Darnold might have a slight advantage of having Kubiak as his quarterbacks coach during his one season with the San Francisco 49ers (2023).
Darnold did not cement that advantage in offseason practices, however. In OTAs, he was holding on to the ball far too long, a tendency that has plagued him in his professional career, and turning the ball over. He didn't seem to have a full grasp of the playbook.
Meanwhile, Lock was sharp and in control. If someone watching practice did not know who Darnold was or who Lock was, the person might have assumed that Lock was going to be the starter.
Milroe was running with the third team in OTAs, but in the weeks that led to minicamp, Milroe proved to be a kind of human AI. He was learning quickly and impressing the coaching staff. He isn't yet ready to be QB1 for Seattle, but his ascendance toward that was happening much faster than expected.
Seahawks training camp begins on July 23, and how the quarterbacks approached learning the playbook and preparing for the new season in the month between minicamp and training camp is going to tell coaches and fans a lot. Will Darnold be much sharper? Will Lock be even better?
Perhaps the biggest question is how different Milroe might look. If he is the same as he was in minicamp, good. But if he has improved further with a great idea of what Kubiak needs, Milroe is going to put stress on Darnold and Lock to be great.
That stress could roll over into the regular season. Head coach Mike Macdonald has made clear that Sam Darnold is going to be the starter in Week 1, but what happens if the team is three games into the season and the defense is playing extremely well, but the team is 0-3 due to Darnold's play?
That is as much of a possibility as him playing well, based on his career. If Lock and Milroe both are terrific in training camp, Darnold shouldn't keep his job throughout the rest of the season if he underperforms in the early part. Whichever player, Milroe or Lock, does best in training camp might find themselves as the Seattle Seahawks starter in Week 8.
